Effect of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) on high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in hamsters

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2013-03, Vol.53, p.384-391
• Main Authors: Dai, Fan-Jhen, Hsu, Wei-Hsuan, Huang, Jan-Jeng, Wu, She-Ching
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adipokines; Animals; antioxidants; Antioxidants - analysis; Antioxidants - pharmacology; beta-sitosterol; bile acids; Biological and medical sciences; Cajanus - chemistry; Cajanus cajan; campesterol; carnitine; Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase - metabolism; cholesterol; Cholesterol - analogs & derivatives; Cholesterol - analysis; Cholesterol - pharmacology; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase - metabolism; cholesterol 7alpha-monooxygenase; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cricetinae; cytochrome P-450; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Disease Models, Animal; Disorders of blood lipids. Hyperlipoproteinemia; fatty liver; hamsters; high fat diet; High-fat diet (HFD); hypercholesterolemia; Hypercholesterolemia - etiology; Hypercholesterolemia - prevention & control; Hyperlipidemia; lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Obesity - prevention & control; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; pathogenesis; Phytosterols - analysis; Phytosterols - pharmacology; Phytosterone; Pigeon pea; pigeon peas; Receptors, LDL - metabolism; Sitosterols - analysis; Sitosterols - pharmacology; stigmasterol; Stigmasterol - analysis; Stigmasterol - pharmacology; Toxicology; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides - blood; unsaturated fatty acids
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2012.12.029

► Pigeon pea could improve dyslipidemia in HFD-induced hamster. ► Sitosterol is major compound of pigeon pea. ► Phytosterone in pigeon pea could prevent metabolic syndrome. Obesity is associated with increased systemic and airway oxidative stress, which may result from a combination of adipokine imbalance and antioxidant defenses reduction. Obesity-mediated oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of dyslipidemia, vascular disease, and nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis. The antidyslipidemic activity of pigeon pea were evaluated by high-fat diet (HFD) hamsters model, in which the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglyceride (TG) were examined. We found that pigeon pea administration promoted cholesterol converting to bile acid in HFD-induced hamsters, thereby exerting hypolipidemic activity. In the statistical results, pigeon pea significantly increased hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1), LDL receptor, and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (also known as cytochrome P450 7A1, CYP7A1) expression to attenuate dyslipidemia in HFD-fed hamsters; and markedly elevated antioxidant enzymes in the liver of HFD-induced hamsters, further alleviating lipid peroxidation. These effects may attribute to pigeon pea contained large of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA; C18:2) and phytosterol (β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol). Moreover, the effects of pigeon pea on dyslipidemia were greater than β-sitosterol administration (4%), suggesting that phytosterone in pigeon pea could prevent metabolic syndrome.